Haragopal (Hyderabad Central University);

N. Venugopal Rao (Editor of Veekshanam, a socio-political magazine); and

Katyayani (Kakatiya University)

Telangana

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on 13 April, 2019 regarding the unlawful and arbitrary detention of well-known academicians and human rights defenders Prof Haragopal, Mr. N. Venugopal, Prof Katyayani Vidmahe and many others.

On April 13, 2019 the Democratic Teachers Federation had an indoor meeting in solidarity with jailed veteran poet and activist Mr. Vara Vara Rao. During this, the Telangana Police barged into the NGO Bhavan, locked the building and detained up to two hundred teachers attending the meeting along with the speakers. In three groups, the detainees were taken to Narayanguda Police Station, Ramgopalpet Police Station and Nampally Police Station. It is noticeable that this incident played out just days after Ms. Hemalatha, partner of Vara Vara Rao, penned an open letter to Mr. K. Chandra Shekhar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana, calling upon him to express his opinion on the allegedly false cases foisted on Mr. Vara Vara Rao by the Union Govt. and Maharashtra Govt in the ‘Bhima Koregaon’ matter.

HRDA has prayed for immediate and transparent investigation into the present matter and release of all the detained people.